Kuroda-Grauer resting comfortably after emergency surgery

PHOENIX -- The incredible start to Joshua Kuroda-Grauer’s Major League career will have to take an unfortunate pause.

After exiting Monday night’s 5-2 Athletics victory over the D-backs due to a testicular contusion that resulted from fouling off a pitch, Kuroda-Grauer was sent to St. Joseph’s Hospital in Phoenix, where an ultrasound revealed a ruptured testicle that required emergency surgery and led to his placement on the 10-day injured list ahead of Tuesday’s game against the D-backs at Chase Field.

Kuroda-Grauer was resting comfortably at the hospital on Tuesday, and received a visit from A’s manager Mark Kotsay, who said the 23-year-old infielder was in “great spirits” while recovering.

“He was joking about it,” Kotsay said. “His personality is amazing. He’s such a great kid. Unfortunate to have to lose him with the way he was performing and just the way he was integrated into this group. He fit right in.”

Considering that Kuroda-Grauer was dealing with a rupture, Kotsay found it quite extraordinary that the rookie not only stayed in the game, but he even finished the at-bat by lining a single to center field. He then went back out in the bottom of the fifth to play third base before being replaced defensively by Donovan Walton for the bottom of the sixth.

“That was one of my comments this morning to him,” Kotsay said. “I think he might be the only player in Major League history to [rupture] a testicle, get a hit, then play a half-inning of defense. It shows you the fight that this kid has. His desire to be on the field and just the will and want is pretty remarkable.”

Rated the A’s No. 8 prospect by MLB Pipeline, Kuroda-Grauer has provided a spark that this team has desperately needed as it looks to hang on to its fading playoff hopes. Since his big league debut on June 29, Kuroda-Grauer has been scorching at the plate. Including his two hits Monday, the versatile infielder is batting .417 (25-for-60) to begin his career. His 25 hits are tied with Eddie Murphy (1912) for most in A’s history by a player over his first 16 games.

In Kuroda-Grauer’s absence, Tommy White -- who was already filling in at first base for an injured Nick Kurtz -- will likely get the majority of reps at third base going forward.

“Bad timing for an injury,” Kotsay said. “But we’re thankful the surgery went well and he’s recovering well. … We’re thankful that he’s going to be fine and that it doesn’t impact his life.”

Given the uniqueness of this injury, there is no current timeline for Kuroda-Grauer to return to action. Going back nearly two decades, Adrian Beltre had a similar injury while playing for the Mariners in 2009 and missed 5 1/2 weeks before returning. For now, Kuroda-Grauer will stay in the hospital until Wednesday, then travel back to West Sacramento.

The hits didn’t stop with Kuroda-Grauer, either. The A’s also placed reliever Mark Leiter, who had not allowed a run in 17 of his last 18 appearances, on the 15-day injured list, retroactive to July 19, with a right hip impingement. Right-hander Hayden Juenger and infielder Max Muncy were recalled from Triple-A Las Vegas as corresponding moves.

The A’s also could be looking at a long-term injury with outfielder Colby Thomas, who exited Monday’s game with a left wrist contusion after getting hit by a pitch. Thomas was undergoing further imaging on Tuesday, and Kotsay said the A’s will decide whether he will need an IL stint after they get the results from those images.

“The X-ray was clean, but the soreness was still significant enough to have to get the imaging,” Kotsay said. “We’ll wait to find out where it is and whether this is just strictly a pain tolerance thing before we make a decision.”